The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1887-09-21
A TALk ABOUT PARROTS.
The Best Varieties and How to Take
Care of Thena-Orerfed Isir,Is.

The parrot population of this city is es-
timated at 10000. The Pollys. as they
are all called without distinction of sex,
are interesting subjects of study. There
are good parrots and bad parrots, just rs
there are good children and bad children.
The bad parrot is one which has not for
gotten the harsh, discordant screams of
parrot language in the tropical forests
and indulges in them throughout the
livelong day. He is also the possessor of
limited vocabulary of the ''Polly wants
cracker" style, whose endless reitera-
ton is even more aggravatingly annoy
ing than his natural screeching and chat
tering. a bird like this in the early
morning can make the seeker for an ex-
ira nap believe that 10000 parrots is too
small an estimate of the city's parrot
population.
The screeching nuisance can be dis
couraged and ultimately reformed by
judiciously administering punishments.
The vocabulary can be extended and
made interesting by careful training, and
some melodious and tuneful whistling
may be taught by pleasant adjunct to
the spoken word. Then the bad parrot
having become good, hard feelings will
| disappear from the neighborhood. The
reason there are SO few good parrots is
found In the great mortality among
these birds. While in the process of ref
| orInation and education they die in such
great numbers that steady stream of
recruits is necessarily kept coming into
the country. The result is to keep down
the proportion of good parrots, birds that
can talk considerably, swear intelligently,
sing something and whistle tunes.
A reporter had his attention attracted
H. -.E IL
market the other day. Stopping to look
at it his thoughts reverted to the appal-
ling death rate among parrots, and he
latter suddenly perked his head sideways
with the question, whats the matter
with you. hey?'' followed by burst of
uproarious laughter. The owner of the
parrot, John Morris. the florist, was for
years bird fancier. though he does not
now keep birds for sale. 1ir. Morris
talked entertainingly.
'sSam is very smart bird" said lc.
ttI c21 him Sam for short. His full name
is Samuel j. Randall. When you are
disposed to pity Sam on account of any
impression on your part that he is in any
danger of losing his excellent health, YOU
are away off. have three other parrots
in just as good shape. Il is the effect of
their care and diet They get no bread,
no coffee, no fruit, no vegetables, no
hemp seed, and especially nomcat. They
do get plenty of good, plain canary seed,
water, and liberal supply of slnd ana
gravel. Two-thirJs of the mortality
among parrots comes from ovcrfeed-
ing. Some years ago I came to this
conclusion, The birds that came to Ele,
sick and feverish, with ragged, duh and
dirty plumaSe, We're 60 evidently suffer-
ing from dyspepsia that overfeeding was
the first thought Us to the cause. In
their confined state, having little or no
exercise, they suffer IL they are stuffed
with rich, heavy food.
1t occurred to me that canary seed
contained all the necessary clements of
nourishment in simple, easily digestible
form. 1 determined to make the expert
ment. a sick parrot that WIS brought
| IN to me was chosen as promising sub
| ject He had suffered from dyspepsia
for months, and wss 4 miserable looking
bird, that seemed bound to die anyway.
1 thought lie might as well die testing my
treatment as to perish in the old fash
| ioned way of being stuffed to death. /
put him in clean cage and for twenty
four hours put no fool OF eng Kind II the
cups. Then put in little hemp seed,
so that the bird would neither starve nor
I get enough to eat. The hemp secd lasted
only part of the day, and tho next
morning / put in some canary seed.
When the hemp seed was gone that day
the bird began picking at and PLAYING
with the canary seed. In a day or two
he had learned TO crack and eat It. Then
gradually Icesened the quantity of hemp
need, and after while supplied nothing
but the canary seed.
Old birJ fanciers shook their heads end
said tho bird could not live ON canary
Eeed alone, end tllat was bound to lose
him But 1 pcrseyc-ed, and the result
justified me. The bird steadily improved
In condition and plumage. have since
repeated the treatment many times with
the eanlc SUCCESS, and have adopted ca
nary seed IS TIE standard and sole food
for my parrots. Several fanciers and
lcdics who have seen my birds tried it,
TOO, End tel you of it for the benefit of
the public. +"
DO parrots have to be kept IN very
warm tcmpcrature?'t
THAT il the popular belief, but my
experience has been that parrots can be
rlaie capable of enduring as much cold
as any other bird. -
what Is your opinion as tothe merits
Of the different breecs.''
''There are individual exceptions. but
] think the Mexican double yellow head
Is The bcst II round bird. He II ant to